1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alarm devices, and more particularly pertains to an alarm device which is automatically actuated by an individual dialling a 911 signal on a conventional telephone. The 911 system has become standardized throughout the country and most cities and towns include emergency rescue units which will quickly respond to an individual dwelling unit upon receiving such a call. Larger metropolitan areas include an automatic computerized system which will automatically display the street address associated with a particular phone number from which the dialled 911 signal is received. In spite of these modern systems, rescue personnel frequently have difficulty in locating the particular dwelling upon responding and nearing the address vicinity. In order to overcome this problem, the present invention provides an alarm system which includes an exterior housing having indicia representing a particular street address. Upon detection of a 911 signal dialled from a telephone within the dwelling, the audible and visual alarms in the remote alarm housing are activated to direct rescue personnel to the dwelling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of alarm devices are known in the prior art. A typical example of such an alarm device is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,236, which issued to L. Clardy on Jan. 28, 1975. This patent discloses a lighting and signalling device adapted to be mounted exteriorly of a dwelling and including audible and visual alarms. The device is actuated manually by a single pole switch and is connected to a conventional source of AC power within the dwelling. No back up power supply is provided in the event of power failure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,425, which issued to H. Muncheryan on Oct. 7, 1975, discloses an alarm system for signalling for emergency help during sudden illness or criminal dwelling intrusion. The system includes an intermittently sounding alarm with a concurrently flashing visual indicator which signals by illuminating large letters of the word "HELP". The system is operated remotely by manually turning on an emergency switch or by an automatic wireless switching device using a microwave transmitter-receiver arrangement. The device is provided with a timing mechanism which turns on the audible alarm with the flashing light at a predetermined time. The signalling unit is positioned facing toward the street in front of a dwelling so as to be visible to neighbors and passerbys. U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,040, which issued to C. Browand on Jan. 11, 1977, discloses a flashing address indicating door sign having a casing with illuminable house numbers. The casing contains red and white light bulbs which are selectively operable by a manual switch located inside of a dwelling. U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,946, which issued to D. Solomon on May 21, 1985, discloses an audio visual alarm encased in a housing formed of a translucent material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,761, which issued to R. Jones on Oct. 15, 1985, discloses a distress light and signal system including a light adapted to be anchored in the ground in proximity to a road passing by a house. The light includes a switch for selectively actuating the light in an emergency from within the house and is powered by a solar collector and a rechargeable battery. Information is retained at a location remote from the house including directions for use by a person responding to the emergency. The system includes immediate retrieval of the information upon notification of the existence of an emergency at the house.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices disclose a remote alarm unit including illuminated street address indicating indicia for use in a non-emergency mode and also connected for actuation upon detection of the dialling of a 911 signal from a phone within the dwelling to activate an emergency mode illuminating the general vicinity of the dwelling from a distance and ultimately pinpointing the exact location of the emergency 911 caller. Additionally, none of the aforesaid devices disclose a remote alarm connected by a transformer and a rectifier to an AC power source within a dwelling and including a relay for selectively connecting a back up battery power supply upon AC power failure. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of alarm devices, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such alarm devices, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.